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(This series is research reworked based on a paper I wrote for my PhD Old Testament Seminar.)
One of the most challenging questions deals with the crisis in the world in relationship to the activity of God. Why do bad things happen to good people? Why is it that evil seems to abound and go and unpunished? It seems that these questions cause humanity to question the perceived inactivity of God. The inactivity of God was the problem that the prophet Habakkuk faced. For Habakkuk, it seemed that the Torah (law) was ineffective, the wicked oppressed the righteous, and even worse, God seemed to be inactive in the face of unrelenting evil.1 Throughout three chapters in the book of Habakkuk, Habakkuk not only complains to God, he also complains about God's ultimate answer to the injustice and evil within the world. Therefore, we will discover that God's response to evil will be justice, and humanity’s response to God's justice should always be praise.
A Quick Note on Method:
In order to understand Habakkuk, there must be careful textual analysis around challenging words, phrases, historical timelines, and cultural implications within the Ancient Near East (ANE). This essay will engage Old Testament theology centering on the central message of the book of Habakkuk and engaging the connectivity between Habakkuk and other Old Testament texts. To achieve these goals, we will conduct exegetical work on essential words and phrases, while also discussing and evaluating documents such as the Dead Sea Scrolls within the Qumran community.
(Image: Habakkuk Commentary (DSS), late 1st century BC.)
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